Geriatric Mental Health Disaster and Emergency Preparedness

Appendix II Glossary of Terms Commonly Used in Geriatric Mental Health 401
*Risk Assessment. A systematic process that determines the likelihood
of adverse health effects to a population after exposure to a hazard;
health consequences may depend on the type of hazard and damage
to infrastructure, loss of economic value, loss of function, loss of natural
resources, loss of ecological systems, and environmental impacts
and deterioration of health, mortality, and morbidity. [The major
components of a risk assessment include a hazard identifi cation analysis
and a vulnerability analysis that answer the following questions:
What are the hazards that could affect a community? What can happen
as a result of those hazards? How likely is each of the possible
outcomes? When the possible outcomes occur, what are the likely
consequences and losses?] Risk assessment is a fundamental planning
tool for disaster management, especially during prevention and
mitigation activities.
*Secondary Prevention. Mitigates the health consequences of disasters.
[Examples include the use of carbon monoxide detectors when operating
gasoline-powered generators after the loss of electric power,
employing appropriate occupant behavior in multi-story structures
during earthquakes, and building “safe rooms” in dwellings located
in tornado-prone areas.] Secondary prevention may be instituted
when disasters are imminent.
Semantic Memory. What is learned as knowledge; it is timeless and
spaceless (e.g., the alphabet or historical data unrelated to a person’s
life).
Sensitivity (of a Test Instrument). Ability to identify cases of a particular
medical condition (e.g., dementia) in a population that includes persons
who do not have it. Also called diagnostic sensitivity.
Somatization Disorder. A disorder characterized by multiple, often
long-standing somatic complaints of bodily dysfunction (e.g., pain
complaints and gastrointestinal disturbances). The disorder usually
begins before the age of 30 and has a chronic, fl uctuating course.
Specifi city (of a Test Instrument). Ability to identify those who do not
have a particular medical condition (e.g., dementia) in a population
that includes persons who do have it. Also called diagnostic
specifi city.
*State Coordinating Offi cer. An offi cial designated by the governor of an
affected state upon the declaration of a major disaster or emergency